AI-powered simulations for business negotiations
Enhancing skill development through technology
Roč.15,č.2(2025)
Ivana Kapralikova
Dajana Novák
This research investigates the pedagogical value of AI-powered simulations in developing negotiation skills among non-native English-speaking business students. Conducted at the Bratislava University of Economics and Business, it involved 20 undergraduate participants engaging in AI-assisted negotiation tasks over four weeks. Using qualitative methods, reflective journals, simulation transcripts, and semi-structured interviews, the research explored how learners adapted their language, emotional tone, and strategic behaviour in response to AI feedback. Findings reveal significant improvements in strategic awareness, emotional framing, and self-regulated learning. Students reported increased confidence and perceived the simulations as realistic and transferable to professional contexts. While the AI environment supported experimentation and growth, limitations included the absence of full emotional and cultural complexity. The research highlights the potential of integrating AI into negotiation pedagogy as a complement to human instruction, offering a model for future curricular innovation in business communication training.
AI-assisted learning; negotiation pedagogy; strategic communication; emotional intelligence; experiential learning
Ivana Kapralikova
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Ivana Kapráliková holds an MA in English Language and Education, an MA in Political Science, and a PhD. She is an Assistant Professor of Business English at the Bratislava University of Economics and Business and at the Faculty of Economics of Pan-European University in Bratislava, Slovakia, where she teaches Business English and Business Negotiations. Her current research is situated at the intersection of critical discourse analysis and applied linguistics, with a primary focus on the political rhetoric of Central European politicians. In parallel, she explores the role of language in business negotiations, emphasising the development of graduates’ soft skills and the need to bridge theory and practice in higher education. Her recent work examines business negotiation discourse through corpus-based analyses and investigates the use of AI-driven simulation models as innovative tools in teaching business negotiations. She is the project leader of the KEGA project, focusing on innovative methods in teaching Business Negotiations in English to enhance graduate employability.
Dajana Novák
Ekonomická Univerzita v Bratislave
Mgr. Dajana Novák is a lecturer at the Bratislava University of Economics and Business, where she teaches Business English and Business Negotiations. She is also a PhD student at the Faculty of Applied Languages, where she previously earned her Master’s degree in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication. Her current doctoral research focuses on Persuasive Strategies in AI-Generated Negotiation Discourse, with emphasis on hedging, question strategies, and cultural frames of persuasion. She investigates how artificial intelligence simulates different cultural communication styles in negotiation settings and compares these patterns with the discourse of human negotiators. Her research explores pragmatic indicators of uncertainty, functional types of questions, and the sequential organization of persuasive moves across negotiation phases. Her broader academic interests include discourse analysis, political linguistics, and innovative, student-centred approaches to language education. Through her work, she aims to connect theoretical linguistic research with practical applications in teaching and communication.
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